Tappenden Takes First Place

It was an early start for the members of Gunfleet Sailing Club, last Sunday 1 May, when they took part in the first race of the Egg and Bacon Series, with John Tappenden claiming victory in his Laser.

 

The conditions were almost summery with blue skies and unbroken sunshine, coupled with a light southerly wind.  Boats buzzed up and down the line as the helms determined the best possible position in order to take the all important early lead, but it was soon clear the greatest advantage was close to the Outer Distance Mark; the strengthening ebb tide allowing the craft to sit almost stationary until “the off”.  The race officer set a course that took the competitors down the coast on a beat to the St. Michael’s buoy and there became two camps of thought on the best way to make progress; point high and hold a steady line, albeit not so fast, so reducing the number of tacks, or bare away slightly in order to get greater boat speed, but go about more frequently.  Andy Dunnett appeared to be in the latter camp and definitely showed he had the speed but a determined John Tappenden, pointing that little bit higher, did not waiver and soon found he had got a small lead.  Derroll Pedder, also in a Laser, went for the middle ground and proved that this definitely didn’t pay off.  Meanwhile Peter Downer, the cunning old fox as he is, outpointed everyone in his Comet and refused to be separated from his Laser competitors, albeit that his craft has quite a slower handicap, having already pulled away from Robert Gutteridge in his Solution.  Once again it was Tom and Ed Philpot that lead in the Topaz class.  On the second leg, a reach out to the Seaward buoy, Tappenden was in front, and he maintained this place as the boats gybed around the offshore mark, broad reached down to the AWS buoy, gybed again, and ran to the Kingscliff mark, before heading back to the line.  With Downer’s determination it was no surprise, though, that he had, on handicap, built a good lead on the first lap but with the wind backing on the second lap it definitely favoured the Lasers, pushing Downer back to third place.